Rolln16 Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 (edited) At the risk of sounding like a typical girl.... Okay guys can someone please explain to this girl exactly what and how a strut brace actually does anything??? To me it doesnt look as though it could do much but i am eager to be edumacated.... Edited October 12, 2005 by Rolln16 Quote
Felix Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 it reduces chassis flex under hard cornering loads, by tieing the front (or rear) strut tops together. unless you corner hard there is no real benefit....apart from looks. personally i'd spend money in other places like suspension and tyres first. when chassis flex actually becomes a problem then invest in them. Quote
Rolln16 Posted October 12, 2005 Author Report Posted October 12, 2005 Okay - so it is in other words just a brace to support the chassis from rolling like when you have a gate you put a cross member in it to reduce flex.... Quote
Felix Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 pretty much. it doesn't as such prevent the chassis rolling. it helps to reduce chassis twist or flex as you said, to maintain the same distance between the strut tops at all times. Quote
Rolln16 Posted October 12, 2005 Author Report Posted October 12, 2005 Okay...thats cool - i knew a bit more about it than i thought i did... Quote
Super Jamie Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 it also depends on the car stick one on an otherwise stock ep82 starlet, which has no swaybars at all, and it makes a crapload of difference Quote
Felix Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 i really don't think they make to much of a difference. if the strut towers were to move excessively, wouldn't the bonnet contact the insides of the tops of the guards? Quote
Redwarf Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 i really don't think they make to much of a difference. if the strut towers were to move excessively, wouldn't the bonnet contact the insides of the tops of the guards? Yes, they do. I've actually found they make a reasonable difference on , well, at least the 25. Quote
Felix Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 yes, but you are belting the shit out of yours on dirt roads and really actually need them.... Quote
Super Jamie Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 going on with the topic, at what point does one "need" a strut brace then? driving around on the street, no. a bit of spirited mountain driving for enjoyment, perhaps. i'd say if one was getting into amateur level motorsport or weekend sprints or something where you're trying to improve the car and measure the difference you make, then that's reasonable to say a properly constructed strut brace could be of noticeable benefit Quote
Redwarf Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 That fits. If you're going to do the odd bit of motorsport, I think they're a good investment. Quote
Felix Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 (edited) i think i am just used to the smaller stiffer chassis of my ke15. the steel in it is at least twice as thick as that of my nova (ae92). also it has built in strut braces, tieing the struttops to the firewall. actually the ke15 is way stiffer chassis wise compared to the 2 door ke30 i used to own. in the ke30, if you stuck your finger tip in the gap between the top of the door frame and the roof gutter, and drove into a driveway or something, it would pinch your finger. Edited October 12, 2005 by Felix Quote
Super Jamie Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 good point that my mate matt reckons he could hear the doors hitting the frames in his vs commodore. they don't really have a chassis to speak of either, they're like a big ke30, but worse Quote
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